Melanie Ward believes the “world has changed” since the introduction of the internet and social media to the fashion industry.

The image consultant has been in the business for more than 25 years, working with the likes of the late Corinne Day, Kate Moss and David Sims. She styled Kate for the cover of British magazine The Face in a photoshoot titled The 3rd Summer of Love when the model was 16.

Melanie has watched fashion evolve over the years thanks to new technologies.

“You know what I think? I think that clearly the world has changed,” she told New York Magazine.

“I think that great things have happened with the internet and social media. It’s amazing how it democratized fashion as we know it; it’s opened up fashion to so many people.

“I think that it definitely wasn’t the case when I started out that we needed to socialize. It was very much about our work that spoke to people. I think there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you’re concentrating on your craft. Listen, I would never judge anybody, and I feel like whatever works for somebody, works for them.”

Melanie first came on to the scene in the ‘80s with the grunge craze. She went on to consult for Calvin Klein, Jil Sander and Karl Lagerfeld.

“It was just all very grassroots,” she said of the grunge trend.

“There were a few of us friends working together. We had no money. There was no desperation there, there were no career aspirations, there was no thought of making money or becoming famous.